The Dragonborn Empire

The metallic dragons were victorious, but their numbers had been greatly reduced. The Dragonborn stepped in to fill the void, claiming the right to rule by their descent from Bahamut. Over time, centralized bureaucratic rule from Bahamut's domain came do displace the feudal rule of the Dragons. As the dragons began to slip from their positions of authority, many of them were consumed by jealousy. Fallen from their positions of power, their scales began to turn. Their numbers being small, they had no choice but to go mostly into hiding. The Dragonborn rulers, fearful of the return of chromatic, adopted a law that all chromatic dragons should be slain wherever they are found. Dragons being hoarders of treasure, this law was enthusiastically followed by specialists in the trade. Their traditions continue to this day, with dragonslaying being considered the epitome of heroic acts among all who live in the areas once ruled over by the Dragonborn.

The Dragonborn cleared away the feudal barriers to trade that existed under the old Dragon Empire, and industry began in earnest, the peoples of various areas specializing in various trades. It is during this time that living standards reached the highest mankind has yet known. There were great heroes in many academic and industrial disciplines in this area. There was a great judge and stateswoman, Erathis, whose efforts to reform the Empires law codes and extend their application into newly opened areas in the Blasted Lands (which was largely ungoverned during this age) were legendary. There was Ioun, who founded the first academy of magic, beginning the rise of wizards as an organized force within the Empire. There were many legendary athletes and warriors, the most enduring name having been that of Kord. There were others, as well. It is said that the greatest of this age ascended into the ranks of the Gods, and are today worshiped as such.

It is also during this age that men first began calling upon the gods in a formal fashion, the gods having fully withdrawn from The World, but still seeking to influence it through their followers, and their gifts of power. The various temples, magic school, and merchant houses vied for power within the empire. The more powerful these new forces became, the more difficult it became for the Dragonborn to maintain their positions.

The Tieflings

Even as the Dragonborn Empire was busy consolidating itself, the peoples of the blasted lands were busy fighting over the remains. One powerful family in particular, descendants of a noble family that flourished under Tiamat, sought new help from the Devils of the Nine Hells, and got it; this was the beginning of the Tieflings. Their empire spread across the formerly Blasted Lands, at the same time the people of the Dragonborn Empire were just starting to develop the lands at the edge of their empire. The Dragonborn pushed inward, the Tieflings pushed outward, and when they encountered each other, neither was accustomed to meeting a neighbor, let alone an enemy, that was their equal. The two fell into war cheerfully, each assuming victory would be easy.

Arkhosia (the name of Bahamut's royal domain which had been extended over the entire empire) clearly had far more raw power at its disposal, but that power had become fragmented over its nearly thousand year existence. The loyalty of the Colleges and the Temples could not be counted on, and the Dragonborn were forced to expend their capacity for force cautiously. Bael Turath, weaker in many ways, managed to organize the warriors of the Blasted Lands into a fairly united fighting force, under the promise of booty from the much wealthier Dragonborn Empire.

In the balance, they came out fairly equal, and as each threw more and more resources into the conflict, seeking to overpower the other, their power bases were neglected. With so many of Arkhosia's loyal warriors abroad, and the Colleges, Temples, and Houses jealously eyeing each other, the collapse of civil order seems almost inevitable. As for Bael Turath, they could only take the field for so long until their neighbors and vassals exploited their absence. In the end, the protracted warfare ruined both societies, and civilization collapsed into a state it hadn't known since the Primordial Age.